Alan Davies is to return as magician and detective Jonathan Creek after a three-year break, in a BBC1 special that will air next year.

The one-off 90-minute special, called The Clue of the Savant's Thumb, will be broadcast next Easter.

Creek's sidekick Joey Ross, once again played by Sheridan Smith, will also return for the special in a plot involving a secret society, supposedly supernatural events at a girls' boarding school and the disappearance of a body in front of witnesses.

"The new story has more than the usual amount of twists and surprises, and I'm very much looking forward to sleuthing again," said Davies. "It's nearly 17 years since I first auditioned for the part; the duffle coat is always on standby, even if the periods of duffle hibernation are quite long these days."

The show originally aired between 1997 and 2004 with Caroline Quentin as Davies's original collaborator. Quentin was replaced by Julia Sawalha in 2001.

Sheridan joined the show when it returned for a one-off special in early 2009.

The latest outing has once again been written by the show's creator David Renwick, and will be executive produced by Pete Thornton. It is to be produced in-house by the BBC.

Jonathan Creek's latest outing was commissioned by BBC1 controller Danny Cohen and Cheryl Taylor, the former controller of comedy commissioning at the BBC.

"A new [Jonathan] Creek script from David is always a joy, and this one is especially brilliant," said Thornton, creative head at BBC in-house comedy. "With the dream team of Alan Davies and Sheridan Smith back on board, we're looking forward to delivering a really special Easter treat for BBC1 audiences next year."

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